


Maybe I Don't Want To Be Just Friends

by noxlacrimae



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Aromantic Ryan, Fake AH Crew, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, This is literally all fluff enjoy, probably should have put that first?, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 07:18:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18615823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxlacrimae/pseuds/noxlacrimae
Summary: Every weekend Gavin goes out Ryan, Michael invites Jeremy over. Michael has had a crush on Jeremy for at least half the time they've had this ritual, but Jeremy's dated more people in the past two weeks than Michael has in his whole life. What chance would Michael have?





	Maybe I Don't Want To Be Just Friends

**Author's Note:**

> You ever just listen to one song and then write 3k inspired by it? That's this.   
> Title (and inspiration) from the track Just Friends by JORDY.

It was Friday, the end of a long week of meetings and planning. Michael had changed out of his work clothes and settled himself in the kitchen of their apartment, and watched bemusedly as Gavin had bustled around, packing a bag for the weekend and getting ready for a night out at the same time, the furniture covered in glittering gold and pink clothes and accessories. Finally ready to go, Gavin had kissed him on the way out, leaving a peachy lipstick stain on his cheek “I’ll see you next week babe.” Michael had pulled him in when he made to leave and kissed him back, ruining his lipstick, for which he had received a smack, but the smile was worth it. That was about an hour ago, and Michael was already bored. Finally he pulled out his phone and after clicking around for a moment, he decided to text Jeremy.  _ Hey, Gav is out for the weekend, and I’m bored. Wanna come over? We can get pizza.  _ Seconds after the text sent, his phone buzzed  _ Hell yeah dude! I’m on my way over.  _ They had worked together for three years,  Michael knew what Jeremy wanted, so he ordered pizza and chicken wings and waited for both his dinner and his entertainment to arrive. 

 

From the first time that they had met, Michael had known that Jeremy would fit in perfectly with the crew. Hurting from both a recent break up and loss of a crew member, the Fakes hadn’t been in the best shape. They had brought on several B-Team members to fill the gap in their heist crew, and from the first day that Jeremy worked with them, Michael knew that it was going to Jeremy who became their new sixth. Jeremy just, worked. He made Geoff laugh, he was good at following Jack’s instructions, worked incredibly in sync with Ryan, loved messing with the others as much as Michael, and was force of destruction when paired with the chaos of Gavin. He filled the old gaps, and ones that none of the crew had even known were there. The second week he worked with the main crew, Geoff offered him a permanent position, and he accepted. 

 

A knock on his apartment door startled Michael out of his reverie, and he opened the door to Jeremy, holding up a grocery bag that most likely had beer in it. As he let him in, Michael said “You know, we have an insane amount of alcohol, you didn’t really need to bring any.” Jeremy laughed, and Michael felt his heart thump in his chest. “What kind of guest shows up to someone’s house with nothing to show for it?” Michael grumbled, shoving him lightly to cover the blush that had spread on his face when he saw Jeremy’s smile. They settled onto the couch once the pizza arrived, and a comfortable quiet broken by random banter followed. Jeremy knew about the crew’s relationships. He had to, since he had worked with them for several years before becoming a Fake himself. He knew that Michael and Gavin had been together forever, and that Geoff and Jack had been married longer than most of the crew had been adults. He was a little shakier on Ryan’s place in both relationships, but seemed to get that Ryan and Gavin had a  _ thing _ , even if he didn’t know what exactly that was. 

 

It would often end up that weekends when Gavin was out with Ryan, Michael would call Jeremy and the two of them would hang out. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the fact that the Fakes were always embarrassingly open about their personal lives, but Jeremy would usually at some point in the night begin talking about how his latest date or latest breakup had gone. In all the time that they had worked together, Michael had never known Jeremy to stay with someone for more than a few weeks. Michael always listened, and would sometimes offer his own advice. Tonight was no exception. The two of them laughed as Jeremy described how disastrous his last date had been and Michael had been sympathetic, listening to him describe how yet again he had begun to feel uncomfortable in his relationship and had broken it off. “I don’t know how you do it, man.” Jeremy said, after a pause. “Hm? Do what?” Michael, said, staring up at the game on the TV. “You’ve been with Gavin for ages! And you guys do the poly thing too. You guys are just so perfect, it seems like a lot.” Michael shrugged, pausing the game. “We didn’t really know what we wanted when we started, so we worked it out. And I don’t think we’re perfect. We both just think it’s important to be with someone who adds value to our lives and makes us happy, and if there’s multiple someones who make that happen, then why should we stop each other from being able to be happy like that?” There was silence between them, and Michael took the opportunity to add:  “It makes it easier, actually, to be together. Gavin and I share exactly what we want to, and don’t feel like we need to share more than that, or less. What Ryan and Gavin share is different from what Gavin and I share, which is different from what Ryan and I share.” When he looked over, Michael saw Jeremy looking at him thoughtfully. Michael blushed and turned away under the consideration. “Come on, let’s get through this last level.” 

 

Gavin had returned from his weekend away late, and in the morning the two of them lazed in bed slowly waking up, Michael on his back while Gavin had propped himself up on the headboard. Michael had told Gavin about the talk he’d had with Jeremy. When Michael finished, Gavin burst out laughing. “What?” Michael shouted, playfully raising his voice. “I can’t believe you told him all that and he still didn’t figure out you have a massive crush on him.” Michael tackled Gavin and tried to smother him in their plush comforter. “Come on boy, you know I’m right! He’s so thick I can’t believe it.” Gavin managed to squeak out around his giggles as Michael tickled him. With a huff, Michael let his head fall down onto Gavin’s stomach, causing him to breathe out hard. “You should just tell him you know.” He said softly, his hand brushing gently through Michael’s curls. “I can’t! He’s told me so many times about how he doesn’t think he can date someone at work, and how he doesn’t want to make it ‘complicated’.” Gavin laughed softly in response, and squeezed Michael between his legs. “Like anything could our batshit job more complicated.” 

 

It’s the day before a territory exchange with the Haus crew, and Ryan and Jeremy are in the shooting range, cleaning and testing all the weapons they’re planning on using. Jeremy is sitting at the table, deconstructed pistol sitting in front of him as he watched Ryan aim down the sights of a rifle on the range. “I can feel you staring at me. What’s on your mind Lil’ J?” Ryan turned around, teasing smile on his face. Jeremy sighed. 

“I’m just still thinking about what Michael and I talked about last week.”

Ryan, let out a long suffering sigh. “Would you just tell him you like him already? There’s only so much angsty pining I can take.” 

Jeremy buried his head in his hands. “I can’t tell him! We work together-”

“Half of our crew is dating, married to or fucking the other half of the crew Jer.”

“He’s not interested-”

“I have watched him stare at you for far longer than anyone looks at someone they don’t want to bone. He is definitely interested.”  

Jeremy sunk down in his seat, hands still covering his face. “Ryan, can I ask something you might not want to answer?”

“If it’s about how I got Jack to give me back the keys to my Zentorno, that secret will be going to my grave.” 

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “No, I wanted to ask, what exactly would you call your relationship with Gavin and Michael.”

“Ah, it’s the classic ‘you’re with the people I want to date, tell me what they’re like’ question.” Jeremy blinked.  “Is that… a classic question?” Ryan snorted.

“It’s more common than you’d think. Okay let me think about how to phrase this.” He sat back down at the table, and the two of them worked in silence for a few moments. “I don’t really have a name for me and Gavin’s relationship. I think he likes to call it ‘friends with benefits’ and I’m fine with that. We share a lot of… sexual similarities, that’s what originally brought us together. For me, I’m comfortable with what we share, which is mostly sex, and also a strong friendship. Michael and I are good friends, but we're not really interested in sex outside of the few threesomes we've had with Gavin. They’re happy with what they have, and I’m happy with what Gavin and I have. I don’t need the kind of relationship that Gavin and Michael have to be happy. Does that clear things up?” Jeremy nodded then sat back, thoughtful. Ryan added softly. “I don’t know what you would want out a relationship, but I assume it would be different from what I want. In the hypothetical world where you actually tell him your feelings, I would suggest that you be upfront about what exactly you are interested in having with him. Theoretically of course. In the imaginary world where a criminal who’s broken into a military base, almost died in several plane crashes, and broken into almost every museum in the US isn’t afraid to ask one tiny question he already knows the answer to.” Jeremy flung his cleaning cloth at Ryan, shouting “Shut up!” as Ryan laughed, the streaks of grease from the cloth smearing on his face. 

 

The following weekend was the first crew party after a successful job, and all of the Fakes were together, laughing and drinking in Geoff’s penthouse to celebrate the successful completion of a territory exchange with the Haus crew. In the main room, talking to Trevor and Matt, Gavin had his arm around Ryan’s shoulders and would every so often lean in to kiss his cheek. Michael was standing at the bar in the kitchen, beer in hand watching his boyfriend with a fond look. His phone buzzed, and he looked down, startled to see Jeremy’s tag in the group chat on the notification:  _ Sorry, I don’t think I’m gonna make it to the party tonight, got some things to take care of.  _ The chat buzzed again as the rest of crew sent reassurance and a few sad faces. Gavin’s name finally popped up, with a  _ Ah, Jeremy, do you have a hotter date than us?  _ Followed by a selfie of him and Ryan. Michael snorted, imagining Jeremy’s flustered face at the teasing. Jeremy replied  _ As a matter of fact, I do, thanks for asking. See you guys on Monday.  _ Gavin shouted from across the room and seconds later, he slammed into Michael. “Micco, look! Jeremy said he’s going out on  _ another  _ date.” Michael rolled his eyes as Gavin wrapped around him, shoving the phone into his face.  “Yes, Gavin, I am in fact in the same group chat as you.” 

Gavin pouted “But, Michael…” Michael gently put his hand on the back of his neck and stroked it softly. “My crush can go on dates with whoever he wants, Gav, I haven’t even told him I’m interested and you know that.” Michael said, pushing him back.

“But he’s lying!” The words made Michael freeze, narrowing his eyes. 

“What?” Gavin tapped a few buttons and then showed Michael a map, Jeremy’s indicator popping up over his house. “I think something else is going on. Text him? Please? You’re his favorite crush, I mean crew member.” Michael did shove him off at that, ignoring the smug face Gavin flashed before he walked back over to Ryan and obnoxiously threw himself into his lap. Michael finished his beer as he stood, weighing his options. In the end, concern over why Jeremy would lie to his crew won over any embarrassment at looking too overbearing.  _ Hey, are you coming to the party tonight?  _ He shot off. It seem innocent enough he decided. After a few minutes with no response, he began to regret his choice. He probably sounded so annoying. Maybe he should apologize. He was pulling out his phone to do so when it buzzed in his hand. 

 

Boston: I texted the group, can’t make it tonight. 

Michael: It’s not like you to miss a party. Something going on? 

Boston: I’m fine don’t worry about it. I’m not sick so don’t worry I won’t be missing any meetings. 

Michael: I’m not worried that you’re sick, I’m just wondering if there’s something you’re not telling me, and if there’s a reason. Because Gavin knows where you are and he told me you’re at home not on a date.

Another long pause. Michael had definitely fucked up. 

Boston: Yeah. Gav’s right. 

Michael: Something’s wrong? Anything I can do?

Boston: No, I’ll be fine.

Michael: Are you sure? I can come over. 

Another pause. Michael couldn’t help but hold his breath as he waited for a response. 

Boston: Please. 

Michael tapped out a hurried  _ omw _ and then rushed to get his jacket, kissing Gavin as he passed and shouting an excuse as he left the penthouse.

 

Michael knocked on the door, ignoring the fact that he had a key to the place in his pocket. Something was definitely wrong, and if Jeremy had changed his mind he didn’t want to push it. Finally, the lock turned and Jeremy peeked around the door frame. “Come in.” his voice was rough, like he had been crying or shouting. As Michael walked in, what he could see of the apartment was a mess. Several days of takeout were stacked on tables and a few piles of clothes littered the floor. “Have you left your apartment since we finished the job?” Michael asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. Jeremy laughed “No, is it that obvious from the absolutely shitpile condition that my place is in?” Michael shrugged.

“Want to talk about it?” Jeremy’s smile fell as soon as he asked, and flopped himself down on the couch, Michael gingerly following. “I’ve just been…thinking. Guess I thought too hard.” Michael stayed quiet, leaving the space for Jeremy to say what was on his mind. When the silence stretched on, Michael finally asked “ Could I…?” gesturing around the room. Jeremy nodded, and Michael stood, walking around the room collecting garbage, and generally tidying. After a few minutes of watching, Jeremy walked into the kitchen and Michael could hear him begin cleaning in the kitchen as well. They worked in silence, until Jeremy tuned on music in the kitchen, and the songs drowned out any other noise. 

 

Finally done with the living room, Michael walked into the kitchen and found Jeremy opening beers and setting them beside a plate of food. “Dude, thanks.” Michael said, sitting across from him. Jeremy shrugged awkwardly, then said “Least I could do I guess. Thanks, for helping me.” 

Michael nodded as he took his first bite of the food. “This is great. It’s no problem man. Friends help each other when they need it.” Something in Jeremy’s face changed, and Michael frowned. “We’re friends right?” 

“Yeah, I, uh, I mean of course we are.” Michael felt a pang in his chest. Did Jeremy not think of him as a friend? Michael cleared his throat. “So, you want to tell me what’s going on now?”

Jeremy sighed. “I broke up with Derek last week.” That was nothing unusual. If anything, Michael was surprised that they had lasted almost a month. “It was...messy.” Jeremy shifted back in his chair, taking another swig of beer before sighing. “He said he was tired of not seeing me, and that he could tell I wasn’t invested in our relationship and he couldn’t be with someone like that. It’s not like that’s anything I haven’t heard before, but for some reason I can’t stop thinking about it.” Michael watched him carefully, nodding to encourage him to go on. “I guess I’m just afraid that I’ve heard the same story so many times that maybe I’m starting to realize that it’s true? I thought about it for so long, and I realized that I really don’t put enough time into any of the relationships I’ve had. I can always think of something else to do, let myself off the hook, and I’ve just been… hurting people, I guess. Because,” He paused, clearing his throat and looking uncomfortable for a moment, before rushing out “Because I’m afraid, I think. I’m afraid of what it’s like to be invested in a relationship.” 

Michael let the silence between them stretch for a moment, and he thought about what to say. Finally, he started slowly “I think it’s good that you’ve realized why you haven’t been happy in any of the dating that you’ve pursued. Knowing what your tendencies are, good or bad, will make any future relationships better. And I have to say,” He could feel himself blushing and hoped Jeremy didn’t notice. “You used to be afraid that the crew was just temporary, right? You didn’t want to get to invested in us, just in case it didn’t work out. Just like Ryan. But both of you got comfortable with the idea that we wanted you around, and you’ve never felt like we weren’t just as invested in you as we are in the rest of the crew again.” He sat back, taking a swig of his beer. “You learned how to do it for us, I think you can learn how to do it again for someone else. If you want to.”  

Jeremy took a deep breath in, and then said “I don’t think I want to learn how to do it with someone new.”

Michael nodded “Sure, I mean dating isn’t for everyo-” 

“No, I mean… I think I’d like to learn how to do it w-with you.” Michael blinked. He looked at Jeremy hard for a moment, then said, “Are you serious?” his voice rising a little too much for him to play it cool. Jeremy looked even more nervous than he had before. “Yeah, I’m serious. I.. like you Michael. I don’t think I want to be just friends anymore.” Michael could feel a slow smile spreading over his face. “Gav is going to laugh so hard at me for this.” Jeremy looked down, and Michael realized that he hadn’t said what he really needed to say. “Me too!” he said, a little too fast. “I mean uh, I like you too, and I’d like to be more than friends too.” Jeremy blushed, smiling big as he looked up at Michael again. “We can talk about this more later but do you maybe want to watch a movie? Or do you maybe feel up to going to the party now? I’m sure they’re still going.” Jeremy, nodded, grinning again. “I’m feeling bold all of a sudden. Let’s go back to the party.” 

When they walked into Geoff’s penthouse with hands intertwined, Gavin shouted “You did have a hot date, I knew it!” and Michael could see the love in his eyes. Ryan didn’t even look up from his phone as he said,“Took you idiots long enough.” Jeremy groaned while Gavin laughed, hugging himself closer to Ryan. Michael squeezed Jeremy’s hand, and Jeremy squeezed back, and Michael felt like he was floating, tethered to the earth only by the touch of Jeremy on his right, and the brush of Gavin’s lips against his cheek on the right. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, thank you! Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it~ please leave me a kudos if you did!


End file.
